U of A Enrollment Tops 27,000, With Record Number of Arkansas Freshmen

Russell Cothren

U of A students head to class on first day back to school.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Enrollment at the University of Arkansas now exceeds 27,000 students for the first time. Preliminary numbers show that 27,065 students had registered as of Aug. 24 for the fall semester. The university’s total freshmen class, with 5,022 students currently registered, is also a new record.

The total number of freshmen students from Arkansas continues to grow, with 2,466 Arkansans currently registered as a part of the freshman class, a slight increase from the 2,432 freshmen from Arkansas who enrolled in 2015.

Students from outside the state continue to be attracted to the university in large numbers. However, the recruitment of this class reflects efforts to reach Chancellor Joe Steinmetz’s stated goal for the university to work to admit “more Arkansans than we ever have before” while always aiming for at least a 50-50 balance of in-state and out-of-state students.

“The university made a concerted effort to increase the number of Arkansas students in this freshman class,” said Suzanne McCray, vice provost for enrollment and dean of admissions. “We did this while enhancing the academic quality of this class, which comes to the university with a record overall highschool grade point average of 3.68, and an ACT score average of 26.3. In this freshman class 25 percent of the students are in the top 10 percent of their high school classes, and more than half of them are in the top 25.”

The university is assessing future goals for growth and what the campus can actually support, especially from the perspectives of student services and the number and quality of needed staff. The university kept this year’s growth to 1 percent, as opposed to 2 percent last year. U of A enrollment has increased by nearly 51 percent since 2006.

The university is required by state law to take an official enrollment snapshot on the 11th day of classes, which falls on Sept. 6 this year, and will announce official enrollment figures later that week.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.